There has been no better time to become a real estate videographer and let me tell you why. Recent marketing statistics tell us that listings that make use of professional videos get 403% more inquiries than the competition while attracting 200-300% more traffic. And with stricter guidelines on open houses, real estate videos are quickly becoming the next best thing, besides having to physically visit properties. In short, the demand for real estate videography is at an all-time high.
So if you want to get into the real estate videography business, you’re going to need a few crucial things in your bag. Today, we’ll be talking about some of the must-have gear that you need so you can get started shooting real estate videos. Note that we’ll be focusing on gear that you might not have in your current kit yet, and not so much on miscellaneous bits and pieces that you may already own such as tripods, ND filters and so on.
Cameras for Real Estate Videography
No, you won’t need to ditch your current camera bodies for full frame. You won’t probably even need to get the latest iteration of your camera body. If your camera was produced in the last 5 years or so, there’s a great chance that they’ll do just fine. But if you must get a new camera, here are some of the features that you may want to consider before committing to a hefty purchase.
4K — It’s safe to say that 1080p is still the global standard. The average agent probably won’t know enough to care about pixels on the screen, but 4K will be a great way of “futureproofing” your entire kit. However, if you can’t upgrade just yet, 1080p is still absolutely fine so don’t stress too much if you can’t fit a brand-new camera into your budget right away.
Low Light Performance — If you’re working with an older body that struggles in dim environments, there are plenty of entry level alternatives can shoot insanely clean footage at higher ISOs. A four-year-old Sony A6300 for one is an extremely capable 4K-ready body that handles low-light scenarios well.
High Frame Rates — A “nice to have” feature. And it’s just that — it’ll be great to have the option, but not entirely necessary. For more creative shots, sure, a 120 FPS shot slowed down to 24 FPS would be cool to weave in between sequences, in moderation. But just to stress this point, you can live without high frame rates. Full HD (1080p) at 60 frames per second should be enough for most real estate projects.
In-Body Image Stabilization — Another “nice to have” feature. Since you’ll be most likely using gimbals and sliders for your camera movement, having IBIS shouldn’t be that big of a deal. But if you’re thinking about working with manual or legacy lenses, IBIS will definitely merit your consideration.
Log Picture Profile — Having access to a flat or Log Profile will let you retain more detail in your shadows and highlights, and gives you more latitude with color grading. If you’re purchasing a new camera, I recommend looking for something that can shoot in Log. Getting more creative with your color grading can add that extra flare to your final product.
If you have the budget and want to get the best camera you can afford right now, by all means, go pick up a Panasonic S1H or an A7SIII or whichever top of the line system you want to go with. These two are easily the best prosumer cameras today for video, and will surely serve you well for many years to come. But if you’re on a tight budget, I highly recommend looking into the used market. A lot of the cameras that came out in the last few years are still plenty capable, with their latest iterations only adding incremental upgrades for the most part. Here are a few camera bodies that can be had for an awesome value today.
Sony – The Sony a6500 may be a generation behind the current iteration of the a6000-series, but it still ticks a lot of the video features you’d want for video like 4K-recording, S-Log profile, and IBIS. If you want to step up to full frame, consider the A7SII.
Panasonic – When the GH5 came out, everybody agreed that it was one of the best prosumer filmmaking cameras ever. Two years later and it still packs one hell of a punch. It has a class-leading IBIS, V-Log, and phenomenal 4K recording.
Canon – Granted, the EOS RP did not get many favorable reviews when it entered the market. But a lot of the initial complaints for the RP are now ironed out and now presents amazing value. The Canon EOS RP features an outstanding Dual Pixel continuous AF and 4K recording.
Wide Angle Lenses for Real Estate Videography
I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again. Lenses will have more impact on your work than your camera body. For real estate videography, you’ll need to go wide, but not too wide as to introduce jarring distortion in your shots. The consensus would be staying somewhere around 20mm, give or take a little, while taking your camera’s crop factor into account. This is just a recommendation, of course, and there will be a lot of times that you’ll have to go wider or tighter, depending on the scene.
If you need a refresher on your crop factors, refer to the following section:
Full Frame Sensors — You get exactly the field of view stamped on the lens barrel.
APS-C Sensors — A crop factor of x1.5 is applied = A 14mm lens (14 x 1.5) will give a 21mm field of view.
Micro Four Thirds Sensors — A crop factor of 2x is applied = A 14mm Lens (14 x 2) will give a 28mm field of view.
Lens Recommendations
If you’re building a real estate video system from scratch, and you can only have just one lens in your bag, it’ll be best to go for a zoom lens for more versatility instead of a prime. And if you’re willing to put a bit of time into research, you can also look into legacy lenses to adapt to your mirrorless camera to get the most bang for your buck. You’d want to be on a full frame camera if you go that route though, or at the very least use a speedbooster to get a wider focal length. My personal favorite legacy lenses are Canon FD lenses.
Panasonic:
Panasonic-Leica 8-18mm f2.8-4.0 — MFT mount – My personal favorite, and one of the best MFT lenses, period. It’s a much better value than our next pick. And for real estate, the extra reach will help. You could opt for the Panasonic 7-14mm f4.0 if you want to save a little more money, but it doesn’t take filters natively.
Panasonic-Leica 10-25mm f1.7 — MFT mount (see our roundup of reviews from pros)
Olympus ED 7–14mm f/2.8 PRO — MFT mount
Sigma 14-24mm F2.8 DG DN Art — (Full frame) L-Mount (see our article on the best l-mount lenses for more)
Sony:
Sony 16-35mm f/4 f.2.8 G — (Full Frame Mirrorless Sony Cameras) – Our survey had this as the 2nd most popular lens for Sony full frame cameras, and for good reason. It’s quite the versatile lens that is great for real estate, though if you want a little more reach at the wide end…
Sony 12–24mm f/2.8 G (or the f4 version if you want to save money) — (Full Frame Mirrorless Sony Cameras)
Sony 10–18 mm F4 OSS — (APS-C Mirrorless Sony Cameras)
Canon
Canon EF 16–35mm F/4 L IS — EF Mount (Full Frame/APS-C Canon DSLRs)
Canon RF 15–35mm f/2.8 L IS — RF Mount (Full Frame Canon Mirrorless Cameras)
Canon EF-S 10–18mm f/4.5-5.6 IS STM — EF-S Mount (APS-C Canon Cameras)
For more lens advice, see what professional real estate videographer Grant Johnson recommends:
Gimbals for Real Estate Video
With electronic gimbals, achieving deliciously cinematic, smooth camera movements is a breeze. Gliding through the property’s interiors with unreal stability while also getting consistent camera pans and tilts is the easiest way to add more production value to your work.
For this reason, most real estate videographers will always have a gimbal ready to go in their camera bags. So if you’re serious about getting into real estate videography, you’re going to have to invest in a reliable motorized gimbal.
You have two strong options for your first gimbal: the DJI Ronin-S and the Zhiyun Crane 2. According to what the pros are saying, there’s no clear “better option” between the two and are very comparable in terms of performance. This awesome article from BorrowLenses breaks down each options’ strengths and offers some recommendations for buyers.
According to their testing, the Ronin-S stayed stable at higher speeds, whereas the Crane 2 exhibited a bit of swaying with high-speed subjects. This comes at a cost of weight and bigger build. The Ronin-S is approximately 1.25 lbs heavier, though it offers a higher payload of 8 lbs, compared to the Crane 2’s 7-lb payload. What this tells us is that the Ronin-S would be for videographers with larger cameras like DSLRs or those looking to upgrade into more serious cinema cameras later on.
The Zhiyun Crane 2, in contrast with the DJI Ronin-S, is a lot more compact and lighter, making it great for the run-and-gun type of shooting for event coverage and travel videos. It also has better battery life at a claimed 18-hour run versus DJI’s 12 hours. If you don’t see yourself using heavier lenses and bigger cameras anytime soon, then the Zhiyun Crane 2 might be a better pairing for your mirrorless system.
For a more in-depth analysis, check out BorrowLenses’ comparison review below.
Drones for Real Estate Videography and Photography
If you’ve watched any recent real estate video lately, you’ve probably seen a dramatic aerial coverage of a high-end property. Aerial shots are quickly becoming the latest trend for the real estate industry, so you might want to consider getting yourself a drone. Like smooth camera motions provided by a gimbal, having a drone handy in your bag ready to fly off and get you that sweet, sweet aerial footage is one of the best ways to increase the production value of your work.
Of course, it’s not exactly as easy as picking up a drone today and offering aerial coverage for real estate properties tomorrow. Flying a drone will take a lot of practice before you can responsibly offer your services to a paying client. Definitely look up drone regulations in your area, but in the U.S., the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requires anyone flying a drone for commercial purposes to get a Part 107 license.
David Zhou shares his experience getting his FAA Part 107 sUAS (small unmanned aircraft systems) license and provides a highly informative step-by-step guide for acquiring one yourself.
So now you might be thinking, which drone should I go for? Fortunately, you’ll be spoiled with choices when it comes to drone options. Drone expert and commercial photographer Aaron Rajamoney of UAVisuals recommends three drones for real estate: the Mavic 2 Pro, the Phantom 4 Pro, or the Mavic Air 2. You can check out a very handy spec sheet comparison for these three , courtesy of UAVisuals.
Aaron says you can’t go wrong with either the Phantom 4 Pro or the Mavic 2 Pro for your first drone. But if you want a drone that can do it all, the Phantom 4 Pro might be the way to go. According to him, the Phantom 4 shoots RAW photos, records 4K at 60 FPS like the other two, but it is smoother in video mode and has more stability in the air than the alternatives.
Final Thoughts
I can’t stress this enough, but everything in this article is purely recommendations only, and you can easily find more budget-friendly alternatives with just a bit of research. You might not even need to upgrade or get new gear if you think you can shoot real estate videos with your current system just fine. Just make sure to make the best of what you have and what you can afford, and focus more on honing your videography skills. For more advice on building your portfolio and getting real estate clients, feel free to check out our article on becoming a real estate photographer.
Finally, I highly recommend checking out Ken Dono’s budget-friendly real estate videography and photography kit for under $3,000 if you need more inspiration to get started.